Summary
- DS9's "Meridian" was a Star Trek take on Brigadoon, but faced budget and production challenges.
- Ira Steven Behr called himself a "moron" for pitching the episode idea based on Brigadoon.
- Despite its reputation, "Meridian" had strong character moments, especially for Terry Farrell and Avery Brooks.
One episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was so poorly received among the production team that Ira Steven Behr called himself a "moron" for even considering the story idea. DS9 season 3, episode 8, "Meridian" was pitched as "Star Trek does Brigadoon" in reference to the Gene Kelly movie musical. In Brigadoon, Tommy Albright (Kelly) stumbles into a Scottish village that only appears once every 200 years, where he falls in love with Fiona Campbell (Cyd Charisse). Directed by Jonathan Frakes, DS9's "Meridian", the USS Defiant discovers a planet that only appears every 60 years.
In Star Trek: DS9's version of Brigadoon, Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) is the Deep Space Nine character who plays the Gene Kelly role. In "Meridian", Dax falls in love with Deral (Brett Cullen), but is unable to stay with him when the planet phases out of her home dimension. There's some strong material for Terry Farrell and Avery Brooks to play, but ultimately the DS9 team were disappointed with how "Meridian" turned out. In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Ira Steven Behr took the blame for the episode's failings, explaining:
“I love Brigadoon so I’m idiot enough to say, ‘Let’s do an episode based on Brigadoon’, I am a moron”
Why Star Trek: DS9’s Meridian Caused Ira Steven Behr To Say “I Am A Moron”
Brigadoon was a Hollywood studio picture with a budget of $3.019 million, which was a lot of money back in 1954. For perspective, when adjusted for inflation (via Federal Reserve Bank Minneapolis), Brigadoon's budget would be over $34 million in 2024. Quite simply, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did not have anywhere near this level of budget per episode, meaning that "Meridian" could never hope to replicate Brigadoon. As Ira Steven Behr noted in Captain's Log Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Voyages:
"...to make that show really work, we would have needed another $200,000 for opticals."
Visual effects' supervisor Glenn Neufeld echoes Ira Steven Behr's assessment, recounting the "horrendous" session they endured trying to make the inhabitants of Meridian phase out of existence in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion. The book recounts how difficult "Meridian" was in terms of writing and visual production. Ronald D Moore doesn't think "anyonelikes [Meridian]", while Hilary Bader reveals it's the least favorite of the Star Trek episodes she worked on. 30 years after it aired, is "Meridian" really as bad as the production team thinks it is, and is Ira Steven Behr's "moron" insult justified?
To realize the planet of "Meridian", the production team hired a 270-degree backdrop from another movie musical, Mary Poppins .
Is Star Trek: DS9’s Brigadoon Episode Really All That Bad?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 8, "Meridian" is nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests. While the episode definitely has its technical shortcomings, there is some strong character material for the regulars. Firstly, "Meridian" features an enjoyable comedy subplot involving the sleazy alien Tiron, played by Jeffrey Combs in his first-ever Star Trek appearance. The increasingly elaborate attempts by Quark (Armin Shimerman) to acquire a holo-image of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) lift the slower material taking place on Meridian itself.
Jeffrey Combs' role in "Meridian" meant that he spent a lot of time with Rene Auberjonois, who would later cast the actor as Liquidator Brunt in "Family Business".
However, even though the main plot for Jadzia Dax in "Meridian" is quite flat and unengaging, there's still some terrific material for Terry Farrell to perform. The scene in which Jadzia and Sisko discuss her decision to stay behind with Deral is genuinely moving. By this point in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Terry Farrell and Avery Brooks have incredible chemistry together, and that helps to lift one of season 3's weaker episodes. It just goes to show that Ira Steven Behr's assessment of himself as a "moron" is too harsh, as even the weakest episodes of Star Trek have at least one aspect - like performances - to recommend it.
